Portable welding screen



NOV. 30, 1943. H D, HAMPTON 2,335,274

PORTABLE WELDING SCREEN Filed 0G12'. 17, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F 5 ETige- /2 ya Harald D Hamptun i' Patented Nov. 30, 1943 Y UNITED STATESPATENT. oFFiCEf nai-01a n. Hampton, United stm; Army. Aberdeen man;Ground, ma.

(Granted under the :et of amended April 3|, 1928;

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or forthe Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me ofany royalty thereon.

This invention relates to a screen for use in conjunction with weldingoperations.

The purpose of the invention is to provide a light, rugged, collapsiblescreen for use in the eld by military maintenance organizations toprotect the vision of personnel working in the vicinity of places wherewelding is in progress. Y

The specific nature of the invention as well as other objects andadvantages thereof will clearly appear from a description of a preferredembodiment as shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view showing the screen set up in ashielding position,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view, partly in section, of one of the spikes forerecting the screen on soft ground,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary elevational Hatch 3, 1883, as 370 0.G. 757) wall I I has a plurality of spaced slits or notches Il so as toprovide a seriesof ilaps I6.' This allows the bottom ofthe screen toconform to Yuneven ground and makes a more eective light shield. Thelinks I2 are arranged to be disengageable from sockets in certain of theuprights and folded parallel to the staves whereupon the screencomponents may be rolled up in the fabric wall into a compact bundle fortransport purposes. Av pair of straps il and buckles I8 are secured tothe fabric at the right hand post and serve to hold the bundle together.

The staves III and II are made of a light durable imaterial and arepreferably a light steel tubing flattened at the top ends I9 andprovided with holes 29 for attachment of guy ropes (Figs. l, 5, and 7).A spike Il (Fig. 2) is tted in the lower', tubular end of each staff andis secured by a rivet 2|. Each staff -except the one shown on theextreme right of Fig. 1 has a pair of p lugs 22, one brazed or weldednear the top and Fig. 8 is a front elevational view of the top y pair ofend uprights or staves Il, spaced intermediate staves II, and foldinginterconnecting links l2which provide a substantially rectangular frame.A treated fabric wall I3 preferably made of canvas is stretched andsecured to the frame. The staves are iitted with spikes Il which areadapted to permit easy insertion in soft ground. The lower portion ofthe fabric the other about six inches from the bottom. Pivotally mountedon each of these lugs is a connecting link l2 having its free end bentat a right angle so as to form a hook 23, see Figs.

5 and 6. Each link l2 is preferably a tubular member and receives a atsteel tongue 24 which is welded thereto near one `end and is pivoted tothe lug 22 by a pin 25 at the opposite end, see also Fig. 4. 1

The intermediate staves II are provided with tubular sockets 26 whichare welded thereto substantially diametrically opposite the lugs 22.These sockets are slightly larger than the diameter of theinterconnecting links I2 and are adapted; to receive the hook portions23 as shown in Figs. 1 and 6.

The staff I0 on the right hand end has similar sockets 2T conditioned toretain interconnecting links in hooked engagement. 'Ihe upper ends ofthese two sockets have a pair of ears 28 which are arranged to engagethe horizontal vend portions 29 of the links I2, see Figs. 1, 8, and 9.These sockets are conveniently formed by slotting their upper ends andflaring them as illustrated in Fig. 9. The ears 28 prevent the righthand staff III from rotating when the links are locked therein in theassembled position and adds to the rigidity of the unit.

'I'he exible wall or cover I3 is folded about the end'staves Il andsewed at 30 so as to envelope them in pockets 3|. The four corners ofthe cover, as well as a plurality of intermediate points, are providedwith brass grommets 32 which are affixed in apertures 33, see Figs. 7and 11. Holes 3l are drilled adjacent the ends of the' staves l and Iland receive bolts 35 which are also threaded through the grommets in thecover.

A nut 36 locksthis assembly to the posts. A plurality of spaced canvasbands or sleeves 31 are wrapped over the intermediate staves I I asshown in Figs. 1 and 6 and sewed to the fabric wall I3. These act tosecure the wall to the framework at several points.

Slidable fabric retaining sleeves 3B surround the top interconnectinglinks l2 as shown in Fig. 1. Each sleeve is a folded member sewed alongthe bottom edges 39 and its passage has a restricted portion 40 formedby stitching in a corner Il.

The lfabric wall I3 is preferably coated on one side with an ultravioletray protective paint to provide a more eiective light shield.

The operation of the device is as follows. To set up the screen thehooks 23 of the folding links I2 are inserted in the tubular 'sockets 28on the staff to the immediate right. Likewise 'a pair of links I2 aredepressed in the sockets 21 on the right hand staff I0. This completesthe assembly of the frame structure and causes it to become rigid.Simultaneously the canvas wall I3 is stretched taut and impartsadditional rigidity because of the cross bracing effect of the fabricpanels. The staves i0 and Il are depressed so as to force the spikes I4into the earth. By arranging the staves in other than a. straight line,stability is imparted to the erected screen. Guy ropes are unnecessaryexcept in unusually windy weather. Y.

To collapse the screen the hooks are removed from their respectivesockets and folded parallel to their supporting staves. The retainingsleeves 38 on the upper connecting links are slid downward so as toenvelope the pair of hooks of v the folded links of each stai as shownin Figs. 5 and 10. The stitched shoulder 4I engages the hook 23 of thelower link and prevents the sleeve from sliding downward out of aconfining position. As a result the links are retained parallel tothestaves. The screen is then rolled into a bundleand the straps I1 areemployed to secure it in a compact cylindrical roll.

It is evident from the above description of the invention that there isprovided a welding screen which is light, sturdy, simple inconstruction, easy to erect, can be quickly collapsed into a compactbundle for transport, and does not require the use of tools forassembling or dismantling operations.

I claim; Y

1. A portable screen for welding operations comprising, a plurality ofspaced vertical uprights having pointed lower ends, spaced `collapsiblemeans interconnecting'said uprights in series relationship, said meansproviding a sectionalized frame of rigid sections when assembled,adjacent sections being angularly displaceable with relation to eachother, a wall of flexible material over said frame and secured to eachof said uprights, an ultraviolet absorbing coating on saidnwall, and aiiap at the lower end of said wall.

2; A portable screen adaptedv to be collapsed into a roll comprisingwhen assembled, a series of spaced vertical staves, spaced folding linkspivoted to all but one of said staves, hooks on the free ends of saidlinks, socket members on all but one of saidstaves, said members adaptedto detachably receive and confine said hooks on said lnkstherebyproviding a sectionalized frame of rigid sections, and a iiexible wallover said frame and secured to each of said uprights.

3. A portable welding screen adapted' to be collapsed into a rollcomprising when assembled, a series of spaced vertical staves, spacedfolding links pivoted to all but one of said st aves, hooks on the freeends of said links, socket members on all but one of said staves, saidmembers adapted to detachably receive and confine said hooks on saidlinks thereby' providing a sectionalized frame of rigid sections, a wallof flexible material over said frame and secured to each of said staves,a'loose iiap on the lower end of said wall, and an ultraviolet absorbingcoating on said wall and said iiap.

4. A portable welding screen adapted to be collapsed into a rollcomprising when assembled, a series of spaced vertical staves havingpointed lower ends, spaced folding links pivoted to all but one of saidstaves, hooks on the free ends of said links, socket members on all butone of said staves, said members adapted to detachably receive andconfine said hooks on said links thereby providing a sectionalized frameof rigid sections, a wall of exlble material over said frame and securedto each of said uprights, a flap on the lower end of said wall, anultraviolet absorbing coating on saidwall and said iiap, and a strapmember on one end of said wall for binding said screen when collapsed.

5. A portable welding screen adapted to be collapsed into a rollcomprisingwhen assembled, a series of spaced vertical staves, spacedfolding links pivoted about a horizontal axis to all but one of saidstaves, vertically extending hooks on the free ends of said links,vertical socket members on all but one of said staves, said membersadapted to detachably receive and confine said hooks on said linksthereby providing a sectionalized frame of rigid sections havingrotation between sections about a vertical axis, a'. Wall of flexiblematerial over said frame and secured to each of said uprights, a iiap onthe lower end of said wall, and an ultraviolet absorbing coating on saidWall and said flap.

6. A portable Welding screen adapted to be collapsed into a rollcomprising when assembled, a series of spaced vertical uprights, pairsof spaced elongated hooks pivoted about a horiaontal axis to all but anend upright, the pivots A of said hooks being positioned adjacent theupper and lower ends of -said uprights, spaced vertical socket memberson all, but the other end upright,

said members adapted to detachably and pivot- Wall, and an ultravioletabsorbing coating on i said wall and said iiap.

7. A portable welding screen adapted to be collapsed into a rollcomprising a series of spaced vertical staves, pairs of spaced foldinglinks pivoted to all but one of said staves, hooks on the freeends ofsaid links, a sleeve slidable on one of each pair of the folding linksfor confining the free ends of a pair of links when folded fortransport, each of said sleeves having a reduced passage for positioningthe sleeve about the hook portions of the folded links, socket memberson ail-but one of the staves, said members adapted to detachably receiveand conne said hooks on' said links thereby providing when assembled asectionalized frame of rigid sections, a wall of flexible material oversaid frame and secured to V each of said staves. a. loose iiap on thelower end of said wall, and an ultraviolet coating on said wall and saidflap.

8. In a collapsible screen, an upright, folding links pivoted adjacentthe ends of said upright,

v when folded parallel to the upright.

HAROLD D. HAMPTON.

